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-1898

SIR SIDNEY LEE

145

51 NORFOLK SQUARE, HYDE PARK, W., July 7 [1897].

DEAR LEE,-I herewith send you the MS. of my notice of Theobald. I hope you will not have to cut it down-it contains nothing but facts, and I submit to you in mitigation of the crime of length that Theobald's connection with the Dunciad and Pope gives him an importance which he would not otherwise have, and that unless as full an account of him as possible is given, those who connect the Memoir with reference to Pope studies will be disappointed and blame the compiler. As it is I have accumulated all that can now be got at.

I have left a space-one line and a half is all that will be needed for the Register of the death which is now being searched for in the chaos in which it seems the St Pancras burial registers are. Yours sincerely, J. C. COLLINS.

P.S.-I don't like the reference to my own Essay, but I don't see how it can be avoided, especially as I can't discuss critical questions in this notice and my vindication in said Essay is very elaborate.

51 NORFOLK SQUARE, HYDE PARK, W.,

[1898].

DEAR LEE,-I have just read your Shakespeare with the greatest delight and satisfaction, for which hearty thanks. I think it most masterly. I have just sent off a note on it to Saturday. There are some points in which I cannot agree

1 This is his only contribution to the "Dictionary of National Biography."

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with you at all. It seems to me that we really have no right at all to question the authenticity of "Titus Andronicus"-it is the youthful Shakespeare to a T: external and internal evidence seems to me conclusive. Nor can I agree with you that Troilus and Cressida could possibly have been written as early as 1603, surely it has every mark of the latest style. Henry VIII. I have never doubted was an early experiment written about the time of All's Well that ends Well, and abandoned; and then finished in a hurry for the wedding. Fletcher could never have written in my humble opinion Wolsey's speech to Cromwell-but this is of course mere opinion. Nor can I go with you when you say that it is certain that Shakespeare didn't write 1st of Henry VI. and the old plays on which 2nd and 3rd were founded: these are a few unimportant but I can't help thinking interesting details which might have been given in the life. I write this just to show how carefully I have read your admirable work. Yours sincerely, J. C. COLLINS.

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P.S.-I'm glad you take that view of "begetter in Sonnet question: it cuts away no end of bosh.

On Jan. 29th, 1898, I saw my darling mother, my hand on hers, pass away. I cannot write more about it, in corde imprimitur.

This tragic event thus briefly yet poignantly expressed in the Memoirs was no doubt partly responsible for the great depression which came upon him about this time-the depression to which

-1898

TRIP TO ITALY

147

he was so peculiarly liable. A complete change of scene, if only for a short time, was recommended: a trip that would interest him. Rome was finally decided upon. It was characteristic of him that as soon as the tickets and coupons were purchased, he wanted to change his mind. Eventually, however, a start was made, and hurried as the holiday was, he appeared to enjoy it thoroughly. As my mother was then in a delicate state of health, I accompanied him. London was left on Good Friday morning, Paris being reached in the evening. Next morning was spent in climbing up the Eiffel Tower-and at 2.15 in the afternoon the train was taken for Turin. The journey from Paris to Turin had occupied 18 hours. But he was not in the least tired; he could endure any amount of railway travelling, which seemed rather to invigorate than to fatigue him. In the afternoon of the same day we left Turin for Genoa, which was reached at night. On the next day a visit was paid to the beautiful cemetery : we left Genoa the same night for Rome, which was reached the following morning.

Of all the places he visited, Rome had by far the greatest attraction for him.

We stayed there six days: six days full of interest. He knew the things that were to be seen and he saw them without the aid of a guide.

Rome was left on the Saturday afternoon, and the rest of the trip was an ever-moving panorama. A day was spent in Florence: another in Venice, which to him was second only to Rome in interest and charm. The route home was by Milan, Lucerne, Bâle, and Paris.

It was discouraging that his depression, which had almost vanished during the trip-indeed he was so bustled he hardly had time to be really depressed-attacked him again immediately on his return. As always, it took its own time before finally leaving him.

CHAPTER X

1899-1905

HIS EDITION OF TENNYSON'S EARLY POEMS-TENNYSON'S SCRUPULOUS CARE-WATTS-DUNTON'S

AND

BOOK OF POEMS-HIS LAST MEETING WITH SWIN-
BURNE-EPHEMERA CRITICA-POETRY
POETS OF AMERICA-MASSEY-YORK POWELL

N 1899 my father edited the Early Poems of

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Lord Tennyson. Not the least interesting

feature of this edition lies in the emendations shown therein, which were made by Tennyson from time to time in successive editions of these Early Poems.

How careful and how fastidious a poet Tennyson was may here be seen: he was continually altering the text-and sometimes, after varying readings in several editions, he would at last go back to what he had originally written.

In the "May Queen" the May Queen's young lover is named Robin-and this is so in the original version published in 1833.

In the 1842 edition, he changed the name to Robert. But in the next edition, published in 1843, he changed it back to Robin, and so it has remained.

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